Remove Dale Search toolbar (Removal Guide)

Dale Search Toolbar is a browser hijacker, which is promoted via other free downloads, and once installed it will add the Dale Search toolbar, change your browser homepage to dalesearch.com, and set your default search engine to Dale Search.Dale Search will display advertisements and sponsored links in your search results, and may collect search terms from your search queries. The Dale Search toolbar infection is used to boost advertising revenue, as in the use of blackhat SEO, to inflate a site’s page ranking in search results.

The Dale Search Toolbar it’s technically not a virus, but it does exhibit plenty of malicious traits, such as rootkit capabilities to hook deep into the operating system, browser hijacking, and in general just interfering with the user experience. The industry generally refers to it as a “PUP,” or potentially unwanted program.

Dale Search Toolbar got on your computer after you have installed a freeware software (video recording/streaming, download-managers or PDF creators) that had bundled into their installation this browser hijacker. This browser hijacker is also bundled within the custom installer on many download sites (examples: CNET, Brothersoft or Softonic), so if you have downloaded a software from these websites, chances are that Dale Search Toolbar was installed during the software setup process.

For example, when you install DivX Player, you will also agree to change your browser homepage to dalesearch.com, set your default search engine to Dale Search, and install the Dale Search Toolbar.
However when you uninstall DivX Player from your computer, your web browser’s default settings will not be restored. This means that you’ll have to remove Dale Search Toolbar and dalesearch.com from your favorite web browser manually.

You should always pay attention when installing software because often, a software installer includes optional installs, such as this Dale Search Toolbar. Be very careful what you agree to install.Always opt for the custom installation and deselect anything that is not familiar, especially optional software that you never wanted to download and install in the first place. It goes without saying that you should not install software that you don’t trust.

How to remove Dale Search toolbar hijack (Virus Removal Guide)

This page is a comprehensive guide, which will remove “Dale Search toolbar” virus from your computer and any other adware program that may have been installed during the setup process.
Please perform all the steps in the correct order. If you have any questions or doubt at any point, STOP and ask for our assistance.

STEP 1: Remove Dale Search toolbar redirect with AdwCleaner

The AdwCleaner utility will scan your computer and web browser for the Dale Search toolbar malicious files, browser extensions and registry keys, that may have been installed on your computer without your knowledge.

You can download AdwCleaner from the below link.ADWCLEANER DOWNLOAD LINK (This link will download “AdwCleaner” on your computer)

Before starting AdwCleaner, close all open programs and internet browsers, then double-click on the AdwCleaner icon.
If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run AdwCleaner, please allow it to run.

When the AdwCleaner program will open, click on the “Scan” button as shown below.
AdwCleaner will now start to search for the “Dale Search toolbar” malicious files that may be installed on your computer.

To remove the “Dale Search toolbar” malicious files that were detected in the previous step, please click on the “Clean” button.

AdwCleaner will prompt you to save any open files or documents, as the program will need to reboot the computer. Please do so and then click on the OK button.

Once Junkware Removal Tool has finished downloading, please double-click on the JRT.exe icon as seen below.
If Windows prompts you as to whether or not you wish to run Junkware Removal Tool, please allow it to run.

Junkware Removal Tool will now start, and at the Command Prompt, you’ll need to press any key to perform a scan for the Dale Search toolbar virus.
Please be patient as this can take a while to complete (up to 10 minutes) depending on your system’s specifications.

When the scan Junkware Removal Tool will be completed, this utility will display a log with the malicious files and registry keys that were removed from your computer.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free uses industry-leading technology to detect and remove all traces of malware, including worms, Trojans, rootkits, rogues, dialers, spyware, and more.
It is important to note that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware works well and should run alongside antivirus software without conflicts.

You can download download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from the below link.MALWAREBYTES ANTI-MALWARE DOWNLOAD LINK(This link will open a new web page from where you can download “Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free”)

Once downloaded, close all programs, then double-click on the icon on your desktop named “mbam-setup” to start the installation of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. You may be presented with a User Account Control dialog asking you if you want to run this file. If this happens, you should click “Yes” to continue with the installation.

When the installation begins, you will see the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Setup Wizard which will guide you through the installation process.
To install Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on your machine, keep following the prompts by clicking the “Next” button.

Once installed, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will automatically start and you will see a message stating that you should update the program, and that a scan has never been run on your system. To start a system scan you can click on the “Scan Now” button.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now start scanning your computer for the Dale Search toolbar virus. When Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is scanning it will look like the image below.

When the scan has completed, you will now be presented with a screen showing you the malware infections that Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has detected. To remove the malicious programs that Malwarebytes Anti-malware has found, click on the “Remove Seletected” button.
Please note that the infections found may be different than what is shown in the image.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware will now quarantine all the malicious files and registry keys that it has found. When removing the files, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware may require a reboot in order to remove some of them. If it displays a message stating that it needs to reboot your computer, please allow it to do so.
After your computer will restart, you should open Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and perform another “Threat Scan” scan to verify that there are no remaining threats

HitmanPro is a second opinion scanner, designed to rescue your computer from malware (viruses, trojans, rootkits, etc.) that have infected your computer despite all the security measures you have taken (such as anti-virus software, firewalls, etc.). HitmanPro is designed to work alongside existing security programs without any conflicts. It scans the computer quickly (less than 5 minutes) and does not slow down the computer.

You can download HitmanPro from the below link:HITMANPRO DOWNLOAD LINK(This link will open a new web page from where you can download “HitmanPro”)

Double-click on the file named “HitmanPro.exe” (for 32-bit versions of Windows) or “HitmanPro_x64.exe” (for 64-bit versions of Windows). When the program starts you will be presented with the start screen as shown below.
Click on the “Next” button, to install HitmanPro on your computer.

If you are still experiencing issues with the Dale Search toolbar browser hijacker in Internet Explorer, Firefox or Chrome, we will need to reset your browser to its default settings. This step needs to be performed only if your issues have not been solved by the previous steps.

Reset Internet Explorer

You can reset Internet Explorer settings to return them to the state they were in when Internet Explorer was first installed on your PC.

Open Internet Explorer, click on the “gear icon” in the upper right part of your browser, then click again on Internet Options.

In the “Internet Options” dialog box, click on the “Advanced” tab, then click on the “Reset” button.

When Internet Explorer has completed its task, click on the “Close” button in the confirmation dialogue box. You will now need to close your browser, and then you can open Internet Explorer again.

Reset Mozilla Firefox

If you’re having problems with Firefox, resetting it can help. The reset feature fixes many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information like bookmarks, passwords, web form auto-fill information, browsing history and open tabs.

In the upper-right corner of the Firefox window, click the Firefox menu button (), then click on the “Help” () button.

From the Help menu, choose Troubleshooting Information.
If you’re unable to access the Help menu, type about:support in your address bar to bring up the Troubleshooting information page.

Click the “Reset Firefox” button in the upper-right corner of the “Troubleshooting Information” page.

To continue, click on the “Reset Firefox” button in the new confirmation window that opens.

Firefox will close itself and will revert to its default settings. When it’s done, a window will list the information that was imported. Click on the “Finish“.

Note: Your old Firefox profile will be placed on your desktop in a folder named “Old Firefox Data“. If the reset didn’t fix your problem you can restore some of the information not saved by copying files to the new profile that was created. If you don’t need this folder any longer, you should delete it as it contains sensitive information.

Reset Google Chrome

Click on the “Chrome menu button” () on the browser toolbar, select “Settings“, and then click on “Extensions“.

In the “Extensions” tab, remove DownSpeedTest by clicking the trash can icon.
Basically, if you have not installed an extension then you should remove it from Google Chrome.

Your computer should now be free of the Dale Search toolbar adware infection.
If you are still experiencing problems while trying to remove Dale Search toolbar from your machine, please do one of the following:

HitmanPro.Alert prevents good programs from being exploited, stops ransomware from running, and detects a host of different intruders by analyzing their behavior. HitmanPro.Alert will run alongside your current antivirus without any issues.

TIP: What is “malware”?

Malware - short for malicious software - is an umbrella term that refers to any software program deliberately created to perform an unauthorized and often harmful action.
Viruses, backdoors, keyloggers, spyware ,adware, rootkits, and trojans are just a few examples of what is considered malware.
A few years ago,it was once sufficient to call something a 'virus' or 'trojan horse', however today's infection methods and vectors evolved and the terms 'virus and trojan' no longer provided a satisfactory definition for all the types of rogue programs that exist.

TIP: Avoid malware like a pro!

Keep your software up-to-date. This is especially true for things like your operating system, security software and Web browser, but also holds true for just about any program that you frequently use. Viruses often take advantages of bugs or exploits in the code of these programs to propagate to new machines, and while the companies that make the programs are usually quick to fix the holes, those fixes only work if they have been downloaded to your computer.

It's also important to avoid taking actions that could put your computer at risk. These include opening unsolicited email attachments, visiting unknown websites or downloading software from untrustworthy websites or peer-to-peer file transfer networks.

Need help?

If you would like help with any of these fixes, you can ask for free malware removal support in the Malware Removal Assistance forum. In this support forum, a trained staff member will help you clean-up your device by using advanced tools. Never used a forum? Learn how.

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